Charles h



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ACHARLES H. SHAIV, OF BROOKLYN, NE'W YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THOMPSON &NORRIS, OF SAME PLACE.

SULPHURCANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 437,252, datedSeptember 30, 1890.

l Application tiled November 7, 1889.l Serial No. 329,508. (No model.)

vTo all whom it may concern.'

'Be it known that I, CHARLES H. SHAW, a citizen of the United States,residing in Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Dislnfectants, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to sulphur candles for use in disinfecting; and theobject of my invention is to facilitate the burning of the sulphur orcompound of sulphur with other material. These candles are ordinarilymade by melting the sulphur and pouring it into a mold of `the propershape and size to form a block of sulphur of the desired size, and whilein a molten state fibrous material of a disintegrated character is mixedwith the sulphur to form a wick. In some cases, also, the candle hasbeen provided with bits of cord or like wicking arranged radially in thetop of the block with their ends turned upward for igniting.

I find that candles thus constructed are apt4 to be extinguished by thedrowning or smothering of the ignited particles of fibrous material inthe molten sulphur surrounding them, and that to assure the continuedignition and complete combustion of the sulphur, 1t is important toprovide the block or piece of sulphur with a sheet-like or boat-likewick, made from any suitable wicking material and adapted to iioatiiatwise on the surface of the sulphur during ignition. Au integral wickof this character having sufficient area to insure stability willmaintain the ignition of the sulphur until all of it is burned, and willenable any one, however unskilled he may be, to use the candle.

In carrying v out my invention, with the above object in view, I providethe block or piece of sulphur which forms the body of the candle with acasing or box of tin or the like, and with a sheet-like wick made fromsome Suitable wicking fabric-as cotton-flannel, for examplesaid fabricbeing secured flatwise to the upper surface of said block and havingsufficient area to fioat like a boat on the upper surface of the sulphurafter the latter has become ignited and its upper surface becornesliquid. For convenience in setting fire to the wick, some portion of thelatter, and preferably the margin, will be turned up so as to stand freeabove the surface of the block.

If the margin be turned up all around, as it 5i ter understood,reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, illustrative thereof,6o

wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sulphur candle embodyingmy invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical midfsection of thesame. Figs. 3 and 4. are plan views of candles embodying my invention.These views are merely designed to illustrate other forms of the blockor piece of sulphur and of the wick attached thereto. Fig. 5 is asectional View of the mold I prefer to employ in mak# ing my candle.

A represents the block of sulphur, which will have or need have nofibers in its mass, but may be a simple solid mass or block of puresulphur with a flat upper surface.

Bis the box which contains the block. This box maybe of tin or of anysuitable material. I prefer that it shall not project above the uppersurface of the block A.

C is the wick, which may be of any wick- 8o ing fabric, ascotton-flannel, for example. This wick will lie flatwise on the top ofthe block of sulphur A, and be secured thereto in any convenient manner.The mode of attachment I prefer to employ will be explained 8 5hereinafter. I prefer to turn up the margin c of the wick all around,and to serrate its edge, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, as this enables itto be ignited the more conveniently. When the wick is ignited, and thetemperature has 9o IOO aid of the sulphur itself, and this attachment Iprefer to eiect at the time of molding the block, as I will describewith reference to Fig. 5, which shows the molding apparatus.

D is the base-piece of the mold, and E is the matrix thereof, which willhave a square, circular, or polygonalform, as maybe desired. In thebasepiece D is an aperture corresponding to the contour of the Wick, andin this aperture will be loosely fit-ted a plug D.

In the process of molding a candle a piece of Wickin g fabric is cut tothe proper size and shape to form a Wick C, and this Wick is placed onthe plug D and the latter pushed up and into the aperture in thebase-piece D, as seen in Fig. 5. The matrix E is then placed in positionon the base and the molten sulphur poured in. After the sulphur hasbecome cool and solid the plug D is removed and the block of sulphurtaken out. The Wick C will then be found adhering to the surface of theblock of sulphur'and cemented thereto by the latter. This means ofattachment is better than mucilage, as the latter would tend to impedecombustion; but readily-combustible cements might be employed.

I prefer the method last described, for the reason that the margin ofthe wick is formed so as to stand up by the forcing of said wick up intothc base-piece with the plug D.

Fig. 3 shows the application of my invention to a candle or block havinga circular contour, and Fig. 4 shows it applied to a candle of polygonalcontour. the Wick is represented as of rectangular form and Withoutserrations in its margin c.

I prefer to employ a block of sulphur that is at on its upper face, towhich the wick is attached; but this face of the block might be slightlyconvex or slightly undulating With out materially affecting its burning.

In this latter view vlike or boat-like form attached to its upper faceand resting ilatwise thereon, said sheetf like Wick having its marginturned up in Whole or in part so as to project above the general levelof said wick.

3. Adisinfectant-candle comprising sulphur in the form of a block,having a wick of suitable material of sheet-like or boat-like formresting ilatwise on the upper surface ot the same, said Wick beingcemented to the block by means of the sulphur, substantially as setforth.

et. A disinfectant-candle comprising sulphur in the form of a block,having an integral wick of sheet-like or boat-like form made fromsuitable material and attached Iiatwise to the upper surface of theblock, said Wick being Wholly above the surface upon which it rests.

5. A disinfectant-candle comprising a block of sulphur, having attachedto its upper surface an integral wick of sheet-like or boat-like form,said wick having an upturned and serrated margin to form salientlighting-points.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

- CHARLES Il. SHAW. Witnesses:

HENRY CONNELL, J. D. CAPLINGER.

